Living Things and the Environment

Organism and its Environment

• A habitat provides the things an organisms needs to live, grow, and reproduce.

Biotic and Abiotic Factors• Organisms interact with the living and

nonliving things parts of its habitat

• Biotic = living (BIO = life)– All living things in an environment

• Abiotic = nonliving– All nonliving things in an environment

Hungry, Hungry Hippo Habitat

Ecology: The study how organisms interact with each other and their environment.

Video on Biology

• Intro to Bio

Science Starter

What are some biotic things in or near your home?

What are some abiotic things in or near your home?

Levels of Organization

• We can think about the interactions and types of living things by organizing them into groups, smallest to largest

Ecosystem BreakdownOrganisms Population Communities Ecosystem

Species: Includes only one type of organism

Population: Members of one species living in an area

Community: Different populations that live together in an area

Ecosystem: Community of organisms living in an area with nonliving environment

Levels of Organization

speciescommunity

population

ecosystem

Organisms in the Ecosystem

• Habitat: a place where an organism lives out its life.– Example: trout in a stream, birds in a forest.

• Niche: role or position a species has in its environment.– Example: birds need to specialize in what they eat,

hummingbird drink nectar, sparrows eat bugs and seeds.

Science Starter page. 42Write the questions

• Using a park as an ecosystem, what is one squirrel considered to be? What is the name given to a group of squirrels living in the park? If you add the birds, chipmunks, ants, and butterflies that live in the park, what is the group of organisms called. Now add the nonliving parts. What do you call this area now?

Science Starter:On page 43 of your ISN write the questions and the answer.

Title: Wolf Survival is just a Roll Discussion Questions1. Without human interference – what happened to

your pack of wolves over the years? 2. With human interference – what happened to

your pack of wolves over the years? 3. Under which condition, with or without human

interference, did your pack do better? Why do you think that?

Species Interactions

• Mutualism (+/+)

• Commensalism (+/0)

• Parasitism (+/-)

• Competition (-/-)

• + benefit, - detriment, 0 no effect

Mutualsim (+/+)

• Both participants benefits from the interaction.

• Here the clownfish finds protection in the sea anemone.

• The sea anemone receives food from the clownfish.

Commensalism (+/-)

• One species benefits and the other species is not neither helped nor harmed

• The remora sharks attach themselves to the whales and then, feed on the remains from the whale's food.

Parasitism or Predator/Prey (+/-)• Predator benefits from the

death of their prey.

• Parasites benefit from entering another organism. – They gain shelter and

food. – The host organism may

or may not suffer from this interaction.

Competition (-/-)

• Two similar organisms living in the same niche are in competition for food, water and shelter.

• The stronger of the two will survive, or one organism will have to learn to adapt.